PUVAsol therapy in the management of vitiligo: outcome in a dermatology clinic in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Vitiligo is a depigmentary dermatosis which currently has no cure but there are different treatment options available to treat affected patients with varying results. The aim of the study was to ascertain the effect of PUVAsol therapy offered to adult patients with vitiligo at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> All consecutive adult patients with vitiligo who presented at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals complex, Ile-lfe and gave consent were recruited for the study which was for a period of 6 months. Patients with limited disease were treated with topical PUVAsol and those with extensive disease were treated with oral PUVAsol. The outcome of therapy for the patients was classified into three categories as follows: progressed (P), stable (S) and repigmented (R). The repigmented group was further sub-classified into fair (R1) and good (R2) representing ≤50% and >50% repigmentation of areas affected respectively.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> After 6 months of therapy, most of the patients (92%) had repigmentation of their lesions while the remaining had either stable lesions (6%) or progression of their lesions (2%). Amongst the patients whose lesions got repigmented, 96% of them had repigmentation in less than half of the areas affected by vitiligo which was a fair outcome.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> PUVAsol is a treatment modality for vitiligo with some repigmentation of lesions following therapy for 6 months. PUVAsol therapy could be recommended in resource poor settings because of its low cost and availability in most parts of Nigeria.</p>